Interactive Narrative Simulation as a Method for Preceptor Development

(1) Background: This proof-of-concept study assessed an interactive web-based tool simulating three challenging non-academic learning situations—student professionalism, cross-cultural interactions, and student well-being—as a means of preceptor development. (2) Methods: Three scripts focused on professionalism, cross-cultural interactions, and student well-being were developed and implemented using a commercial narrative tool with branching dialog. Delivered online, this tool presented each challenge to participants. Participants had up to four response options at each turn of the conversation; the choice of response influenced the subsequent conversation, including coaching provided at the resolution of the situation. Participants were invited to complete pre-activity, immediate post-activity, and one-month follow-up questionnaires to assess satisfaction, self-efficacy, engagement, and knowledge change with the tool. Knowledge was assessed through situational judgment tests (SJTs). (3) Results: Thirty-two pharmacist preceptors participated. The frequency of participants reflecting on challenging learning situations increased significantly one-month post-simulation. Participants affirmatively responded that the tool was time-efficient, represented similar challenges they encountered in precepting, was easily navigable, and resulted in learning. Self-efficacy with skills in managing challenging learning situations increased significantly immediately post-simulation and at a one-month follow-up. Knowledge as measured through SJTs was not significantly changed. (4) Conclusions: Preceptors found an interactive narrative simulation a relevant, time-efficient approach for preceptor development for challenging non-academic learning situations. Post-simulation, preceptors more frequently reflected on challenging learning situations, implying behavior change. Self-efficacy and self-report of knowledge increased. Future research is needed regarding knowledge assessments.

A Tutorial for an Interactive Narrative Simulation for Alzheimer’s Disease’s Caregivers: Development and Evaluation

Alzheimer Care Trainer (ACT) is an interactive narrative simulation for caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. It aims to support family caregivers by letting them practice difficult situations of daily life in a training environment. In order to ensure its accessibility to its target audience, which may be unfamiliar with new technologies, we have created a tutorial. The aim of the tutorial is to teach users the main mechanics of the simulation. Considered to be an introductory level to ACT, it is built in 2 parts, a dirigiste first part and an exploratory, second part. Several tutorial elements, such as context-sensitive information or a help page, have been integrated. The evaluation of the tutorial by 14 participants revealed that interaction mechanics were well understood although the state of the visual element remains confusing. Generated positive affects were stronger than the negative ones and most of the participants were confident to play the game after the tutorial. Ensuring accessibility to all populations is essential especially when targeting seniors. A well-conceived tutorial has the potential to familiarize users with our intervention, reducing the risk of excluding people that could benefit from it.

Cognitive Transition and Cutting Techniques for Narrative Film Rhetoric Simulation

This chapter surveys, discusses, and explores the entire concept of visual narrative structure, cognition, and generation from continuity-based to discontinuity-based perspectives. The model of visual narrative structure, including presentation and meaning, is expanded to explain the cognitive transition based on the rhetorical transition techniques and the rhetorical cutting techniques. The classification of the visual narrative structure, including rhetorical transition techniques and rhetorical cutting techniques, is useful for narrative simulation for discussing and exploring the entire visual narrative concept and generation. The rhetorical cutting techniques and the rhetorical transition techniques can reveal various cognitive effects such as reality effects and nostalgia effects, including difficulty. The determinacy-based narrative, the indeterminacy, the diversity, and the ambiguity on narrative can bridge the gaps between cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and narratology.

“Some Powerful Rankling Passion”

The article considers how Joanna Baillie’s concept of “sympathetick curiosity” informs contemporary discussions about emotion regulation. By focusing on Baillie’s De Monfort (1798) and Orra (1812), the article argues that regulatory flexibility is a learned skill that can be improved by actively engaging sympathetic curiosity. Baillie insisted that her plays had pedagogical value and that having audiences watch them would help them learn how to avoid the destructive nature of the passions. Working with Bonanno and Burton’s (2013) model of regulatory flexibility, the article demonstrates the importance not just of inherent differences in emotion regulation but also of learning opportunities individuals engage to develop it. In particular, the article presents a model of how people learn through narrative simulation, drawing on the work of Romantic writers and current critics as well as cognitive psychologists and neuropsychologists. Consideration is then given to how watching protagonists’ manifestations of and responses to an unfolding passion helps audiences learn to develop their regulatory flexibility.

Narrative Simulation for Film Rhetoric Composition With or Without Story and Nostalgia Effects

In addition to the determinacy created by the stories' or characters' goal-directed actions, the indeterminacy created by the non-story and nostalgia aspects of rhetoric is an essential issue of narrative simulation for non-story film rhetoric composition. The narrative simulation can test cognitive effects created through the interaction between the cognitive process, story, discourse, and the rhetoric of a film. Non-story film editing can be classified according to the categories of rhythm and nostalgia, and can be used for narrative film rhetoric simulation. Nostalgia may emerge with the determinacy of the place and time and the indeterminacy of non-story aspects of rhetoric. Non-nostalgia narrative may emerge with the indeterminacy of the place and time and can be simulated by the use of the non-story editing regarding the rhythm categories.

An Integrated Approach to Narrative Generation

This chapter seeks to undertake a comprehensive structure of the author's narrative generation research. In particular, the chapter compactly shows the whole of the narrative generation studies as an indirect purpose by taking several concrete examples and aims to consider and discuss the respective components as the direct purpose. Through this chapter, the author presents an entire framework of narrative analyses in relation to the integrated narrative generation system and Geinō information system, and conducts the analyses of a novel by Yukio Mishima and several aspects of kabuki. The final part provides directions for partially incorporating the results of the narrative analyses of Mishima and kabuki into the above narrative generation systems. In relation to this book's title, Content Generation Through Narrative Communication and Simulation, this chapter selects “narrative content” as “content” to be generated, conducts the analyses of narrative “communication,” structure, and techniques, and attempts narrative “simulation” using the author's narrative generation systems.

A Study of Organizational Narrative Simulation for Decision Support

This paper presents an overview of current decision making approaches. For some approaches abstract information is provided, whereas others require a large amount of labor and time resources to facilitate decision making. However, few address the issues of assisting participants in learning how to make decisions and provide prompt responses to the situations. Harnessing lessons learned from making inappropriate decisions is expensive. To redress this problem, this paper presents a pilot study of the investigation of the psychological behaviors of humans to improve decision making processes with the use of organizational narrative simulation (ONS). By using the ONS method, possible and plausible narrative-based environments can be simulated. Participants can take actions based on their decisions; they can also observe the changes and the consequences. The decisions for handling new challenges generated purposely are validated in a trial that allows prompt responses to the situations. The ONS method is implemented in a selected reference site. The implementation processes, findings, and benefits are presented.

A Study of Organizational Narrative Simulation for Decision Support

This paper presents an overview of current decision making approaches. For some approaches abstract information is provided, whereas others require a large amount of labor and time resources to facilitate decision making. However, few address the issues of assisting participants in learning how to make decisions and provide prompt responses to the situations. Harnessing lessons learned from making inappropriate decisions is expensive. To redress this problem, this paper presents a pilot study of the investigation of the psychological behaviors of humans to improve decision making processes with the use of organizational narrative simulation (ONS). By using the ONS method, possible and plausible narrative-based environments can be simulated. Participants can take actions based on their decisions; they can also observe the changes and the consequences. The decisions for handling new challenges generated purposely are validated in a trial that allows prompt responses to the situations. The ONS method is implemented in a selected reference site. The implementation processes, findings, and benefits are presented.